CAN’T DRIVE, DON’T CARE!!

I heard this morning on the radio and I driving to work that in 2003 there were 88 people in the country on their 6th or subsequent provisional driving licence, and that in 2006 this number had risen to 15,000!!!! And, if you take into account 4th and subsequent licence holders its over 100,000!!!

I ask ya! What is going on at all!!!! There are numerous accidents on our roads each and every day, many unfortunately resulting in deaths. And, here we have 100,000 people approx. who have either somehow managed to not sit a driving test or have failed it on more that on occasion, only to drive away from the test centre!!! Furthermore, I then learn that these people have no legal obligation to sit a driving test!! They can, I’m lead to believe, just book the test and then postpone it, again and again and again.

The solution, in my opinion, is simple. Harsh, but simple. Make it illegal to drive on a provisional licence. Pick a date, and from that date make it so. Make a set number of driving lessons compulsory and then allow people to sit their test in cars provided by the test centres. If they pass put them on a years probation, similar to the system in Britain, where they cannot drive over a certain speed limit and are not allowed on motorways etc. Then after the year, they can remove their “R” plate and their insurance could drop a couple of hundred euro.

See, its so simple. But, it won’t happen and the reason why is simple. Like everything else in this twisted little country of ours, there are too many vested interests involved!!